Keeping the lights on: Pa. lawmakers must work on infrastructure

A lineman works to restore power after a storm in the midstate last year. We don't think about electric or gas service until we don't have it. Aging infrastructure could mean more frequent problems if nothing is done to repair issues.

If Pennsylvanians think their roads are in poor shape, they should take a look at what’s beneath them: the miles of utility wires and pipes. Some were put in the ground in the 1920s.

People already complain about the frequency of utility outages, but it’s a wonder there are not more given the age of some utility lines.

Replacing the state’s utility infrastructure will take time — and money.
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission estimates it could take as long as 80 years to replace the state’s utility infrastructure under the current system.

It’s not a stretch to say some people could be living in the dark by then.
The Legislature must encourage utility companies to make the needed upgrades and do so in a way that is fair to consumers.

While there is broad agreement to do something, the devil is in the details.
The state House and Senate passed bills that would allow utilities to make the upgrades and recoup their investments faster than the current cumbersome process of going before the state Public Utility Commission and petitioning for a rate increase to cover the costs.

But the Senate’s version of the bill is far superior because it adds additional consumer protections.

There is a legislative model for what to do. In the 1990s, state lawmakers recognized too many old and corroding water pipes existed in the state and something had to be done. The General Assembly allowed water companies to get quick, temporary rate increases to help fund the upgrade investments.

There’s been little fuss since it was enacted, and there have been a lot of upgrades done in the last two decades.

It’s time to do the same for electric and natural gas utilities.

“We are very supportive [of the legislation],” PUC Chairman Robert Powelson told The Patriot-News Editorial Board recently. “To be blunt, we have an infrastructure problem. We can’t do smart meters or smart grid on dumb infrastructure.”

While customers are always leery of utility rate increases (this editorial board questioned several increases last year), there will be strict oversight from the PUC.

The Senate version of the bill also has three added protections: It requires that utilities file infrastructure investment plans with the PUC to ensure the early investments are going where they are most needed; it puts a 5 percent cap on how much a utility can increase its distribution charge; and it forces utilities to make formal rate increase cases at least every five years.

These protections will ensure the most cost-effective investments are made in the state and that consumers see gradual rate increases, not sudden spikes.

No one thinks about electricity or natural gas lines until they flip a switch and nothing happens.

But even when everything appears to be working as it should, we need to be aware of what could happen if nothing is done to our aging infrastructure.

The Legislature should move forward with the Senate’s version of House Bill 1294.
We need to do something now.

It is a much better plan than everyone in the state needing to go out and buy backup generators.